Hampton Shoe moves to new location remodeled by union hands

Many of the company’s union boot customers worked on the renovations

By SHERI GASSAWAY
Correspondent

South St. Louis – Hampton Shoe, which has been outfitting local union members with the highest quality work boots and shoe repair for 28 years, has moved to a new location remodeled by union hands.

The family-owned company, which specializes in union-made and American-made work boots and shoes, is now located at 5916 Hampton Ave., just a half mile south of its former location.

Owners Rob and Tricia Egan take great pride in quality craftsmanship since that’s the backbone of their business. So, it was only natural that they opted to use local union contractors on the remodel of their new building.

EXCEPTIONAL, QUALITY WORK

“Many of the employees that worked on our new location are our boot customers,” Tricia Egan said. “It was great to see a lot of familiar faces involved in our project. We knew the work would be completed on time and the quality would be exceptional.”

The seven union contractors involved in the renovations include:

• Clark Floor – Floor Layers Local 1310.

• Galmiche & Sons Heating and Cooling – Sheet Metal Workers Local 36.

• Gillick Brickwork – Bricklayers Local 1.

• Horizon Glass – Glaziers Local 513.

• Lakeside Roofing – Roofers Local 2.

• RJP Electric – IBEW Local 1.

• Stika Brothers Concrete Contracting – Laborers’ Local 110, Cement Masons Local 527 and Operating Engineers Local 513.

A SOUTH CITY MAINSTAY

Rob Egan founded the business on Hampton Avenue in South St. Louis City in 1989.

“We have been searching for a building on Hampton for many years and finally found the right opportunity,” he said. “It was important to us to stay in the neighborhood where we started.”

Tricia Egan added: “Our new location is larger than our first two locations and smaller than our last location, which has improved our efficiency. We like to say our new location is the ‘Goldilocks’ of the four – it’s just right.”

PROMOTING AMERICAN MANUFACTURING

Originally a shoe repair shop, the Egans expanded into the American-made boot business after Tricia left Levi Strauss & Company in 2003. 

“I was very disappointed when Levi’s decided to close their facilities in the United States,” she said. “Rob was frustrated by the diminishing availability of work boots made in America. We decided it was time to take a stand and promote American manufacturing and together we feel we are making a difference.”

THE HAMPTON SHOE DIFFERENCE

While the majority of the company’s products are American-made work boots, it also offers safety shoes and some dress shoes. Ninety-five percent of its products are American made and 75 percent are union-made.

Some of the union-made brands Hampton Shoe carries include: Belleville Boots, Carolina, Corcoran, Double H and Matterhorn. The store also offers hand-selected American-made styles from Chippewa, Justin Work Boots, Neil M Footwear and Keen Utility. In addition, customers can find American-made belts, socks, arch supports and a full line of leather care products.

“At Hampton Shoe, we’re old school,” Tricia Egan said. “We provide top-notch customer service, and our goal is to find the best fit for every customer. We also offer free laces and minor repairs and conditioning to customers who purchase boots and shoes from us so they can take care of their investment.”

UNION MONTH AT HAMPTON SHOE

November is Union Month at Hampton Shoe. Come celebrate with the company for in-store special union promotions throughout the month. Hampton Shoe is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 314-481-7346.